Sonia used to work in a hotel before she decided to devote herself to these youngsters. "Want to be friends?" she asked them. The children with all their innocence replied "yes" immediately and from that moment Sonia became a regular visitor to the area of Palam.
The initial response from the parents, however, was not immediately welcoming, but her daily visits, her friendly approach and concrete help in some difficult circumstances led to her being accepted. They understood that her only purpose was to help the children.
Sonia soon began to give informal evening classes to the children in a park. This went on for eight months, until the city authorities of Delhi asked her to terminate her activities. Meanwhile the staff of the Salesian Forum for Youth at Risk (Don Bosco Young at Risk) and the Holy Family orphanage joined her in her efforts. They even organized games, dancing, singing and distribution of prizes, all of which filled the children with joy.
After the objections raised by the municipal authorities, Sonia’s school became itinerant. The Salesian Youth at Risk forum conducted thorough research in the slum area and went back to the Department of Education to ask to be able to use the school in the evenings and provide non-formal education to children, with a view to their subsequent inclusion in formal education. But their demands remained unheeded by authorities and party leaders.
When all attempts failed, Fr Swanoop Choudhry SDB, Director of the work for street children at Don Bosco Asahalayam, granted the use of some space for the non-formal education of children from the slums, and the lessons continued there in the same area of Palam.
Now, after months of regular education, 56 street children have been included in the formal education classes in state schools. Thanks also to the help of the Salesian NGO "Bosconet", the children have been provided with all the necessary equipment and 14 of them were also equipped with identification documents which they did not have previously.
Continuous monitoring programmes are now under way to continue to support these children, who used to rejoice when they saw red at the traffic lights, because it gave them a chance to survive. Now, thanks to the Salesian Youth at Risk forum and the support of many people of good will, they the green light for their future.
